ICERAYS WEEKLY – APR. 3, 2017

Apr 3, 2017

The IceRays Weekly is a weekly recap and preview of IceRays news, games and more. The IceRays Weekly will be released every Monday during the 2016-17 season.

 

LAST WEEK…

Friday, March 31: IceRays 4, Shreveport Mudbugs 5
Shots: IceRays 28, Mudbugs 39
PP: IceRays 1-for-1, Mudbugs 0-for-0

The Corpus Christi IceRays (29-18-4-5) went back and forth but slipped in the third period during a 5-4 loss to the Shreveport Mudbugs (35-16-2-3) on Friday night from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum.

IceRays forward Nathan Bryer (PP, 8:13 1st) started the scoring with a pass that deflected off a Mudbugs defenseman to take the 1-0 lead before Mudbugs defenseman Brandon Gysbers (15:40 1st) answered back to level the score, 1-1. Forwards Jay Feiwell (3:05 2nd) and Erik Zohovs (7:26 2nd) continued the momentum for the home side, taking a 3-1 lead before IceRays forward Josh Tripp (11:40 2nd; 13:49 2nd) answered back with two of his own to knot the game, 3-3. The Mudbugs took back the lead thanks to goals from defenseman Jackson Hartje (1:06 3rd) and forward Cameron Cook (14:39 3rd), and despite a goal from IceRays forward Brad Power (16:10 3rd) and a late push, the IceRays fell 5-4 to the Mudbugs.

Mudbugs goaltender Dylan Lubbesmeyer (18-6-3) stopped 24 of 28 shots in the win, while IceRays netminder Tomáš Vomáčka (18-12-6) halted 34 of 39 shots in the loss.

Saturday, April 1: IceRays 5, Shreveport Mudbugs 2
Shots: IceRays 25, Mudbugs 30
PP: IceRays 1-for-3, Mudbugs 0-for-4

The Corpus Christi IceRays (30-18-4-5)posted three goals in the third period to take a 5-2 win over the Shreveport Mudbugs (35-17-2-3) on Saturday night from George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum.

IceRays forward Larry Jungwirth (2:12 1st) began the scoring into a yawning goal to jump ahead 1-0, and IceRays center David Thomson (PP, 9:19 1st) deflected a pass just in front of the net to double the lead, 2-0. Mudbugs forward Kyle Kawamura (17:48 1st) scored his first NAHL goal to draw within one at 2-1. The IceRays jumped out early in the third period thanks to forward Nathan Bryer (3:00 3rd), but Mudbugs forward Frankie Melton (4:21 3rd) answered shortly after for a 3-2 scoreline. A little help off a Mudbugs defenseman for IceRays defenseman Cody Fleckentstein (13:58 3rd) gave the IceRays a 4-2 lead, and IceRays forward Garrett Hallford (EN, 18:50 3rd) finished the scoreline against his former team for the 5-2 win.

IceRays netminder Camden Burggrabe (10-6-2) turned away 28 of 30 shots in the win, while Mudbugs goaltender John Roberts (16-11-2) halted 30 of 34 shots in the loss.

Sunday, April 2: IceRays 2, Lone Star Brahmas 3
Shots: IceRays 23, Brahmas 31
PP: IceRays 1-for-5, Brahmas 1-for-6

The Corpus Christi IceRays (30-19-4-5) finished their road schedule with a 3-2 loss to the Lone Star Brahmas (44-14-2-0) on Sunday evening from the NYTEX Sports Centre.

The Brahmas scored two quick goals in the first period separated by less than one minute thanks to forwards Austin Kamer (8:11 1st) and Troy York (9:03 1st) to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The IceRays answered in the second period on a tap-in by forward Griffin Loughran (13:35) to cut the lead to 2-1. The next two goals both came on the power play, one from Brahmas forward Pete Kessel (PP, 15:28 2nd) and another from IceRays center Mason Krueger (PP, 17:17 2nd) to move the score to 3-2. Despite a push back, the IceRays slipped to the Brahmas by that scoreline.

Brahmas goaltender Max Prawdzik (19-3-1) stopped 21 of 23 shots in the win, while IceRays netminder Tomáš Vomáčka (18-13-6) halted 28 of 31 shots in the loss.

 


THIS WEEK…

Friday, April 7 vs. Wichita Falls Wildcats – 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, April 8vs. Wichita Falls Wildcats – 7:05 p.m.

The Corpus Christi IceRays finish the 2016-17 season at home with a two-game series with the Wichita Falls Wildcats at the American Bank Center. The IceRays have dropped their season series with the Wildcats with two games remaining, owning a 3-5-1-1 record heading into the home weekend but have earned points in four of their last five meetings. The IceRays are 23-37-8 against the Wildcats in the franchise series along with a 16-16-2 record at the American Bank Center.

The Wichita Falls Wildcats earned one of six points in their three-game set against the Odessa Jackalopes, falling 6-5 on Thursday, 3-4 in overtime on Friday and 8-6 on Saturday at the Ector County Coliseum. Defenseman Ryan Orgel (3+2=5) led the team in scoring and in goals including a pair in Friday’s loss, and forward Nick Rosa (2+2=4) helped the cause with two multi-point games on the weekend. 16 different players recorded points, and 11 of those were at least multi-point contributors. Goaltender Jared Dempsey saved 94 of 107 shots through all three games, and Evan Moyse stopped 25 of 30 shots in parts of two games.

Promotions:
Pack The House Weekend begins on Friday, Apr. 7 with Alcohol & Drug Abuse Night, presented by The Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Coastal Bend, to help continue the conversation and education with local children on the dangers and safety around alcohol and drugs. That game is also Whataburger Teen Night, welcoming the students of Texas SkillsUSA to the game and taking a break from their competition.

Pack The House Night, presented by AmSpec, Associated General Contractors of America, Buckeye Partners, L.P., the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Church’s Chicken, Harley Davidson, Laguna Wealth Services, Players Sports Bar, Sea Four Contracting, Stripes, and The Storage Place, returns on Saturday, Apr. 8 with many of the returning features from previous seasons. The IceRays will host a silent auction on the concourse through the second intermission as well as a 50/50 ticket raffle throughout the stands, and during the game the IceRays will feature many of the partners and beneficiaries the organization has supported throughout the season as a thanks for their work with the team. The specialty jerseys will be auctioned off to the public in the Eddie Jackson, New York Life Post-Game Jersey Auction in Section 112 & 113 of the arena.

Tride Rideshare Frosty Friday also makes its final appearance of the regular season with $1 beer and soda available throughout the night on Friday, and fans can receive $5 off their fare using promo code “icerays” on the Tride Passenger app. Saturday is a Corpus Christi Caller-Times Family 4-Pack Night, meaning fans can purchase four tickets and receive vouchers for four hot dogs and four sodas for just $48 at the arena box office. Both games will feature an IceRays Post-Game Skate, presented by Braselton Homes.

South Division Outlook:
The Lone Star Brahmas finished their 2016-17 season with a franchise-best record thanks to a 3-2 win on Sunday over the Corpus Christi IceRays, who also split a two-game set against the Shreveport Mudbugs to close the road schedule. The Wichita Falls Wildcats were swept by the Odessa Jackalopes on the road and only gained one point. The Amarillo Bulls extended their win streak to four games thanks to a home sweep of the Topeka RoadRunners.

TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT L10
y-LONE STAR BRAHMAS 60 44 14 2 0 90 .750 7-2-1-0
x-SHREVEPORT MUDBUGS 57 35 17 2 3 75 .658 7-2-0-1
x-CORPUS CHRISTI ICERAYS 58 30 19 4 5 69 .595 4-4-1-1
x-WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS 58 29 22 5 2 65 .560 2-6-2-0
ODESSA JACKALOPES 58 25 25 6 2 58 .500 7-1-1-1
AMARILLO BULLS 58 21 17 8 2 52 .448 5-3-1-1
TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS 57 18 34 4 1 41 .360 3-7-0-0

 

ICERAYS BITS…

The IceRays finished the 2016-17 road schedule last weekend and earned their best situational record in four years. The team completed the road portion with a 14-10-6, which is just one point behind the team’s best junior road record (15-10-5) set in the 2012-13 season. It’s also just the second time the IceRays have finished with a positive road record in the last seven seasons. Coincidentally, both years are seasons making the South Division Semifinals.

Even with the loss on Sunday, the IceRays are still nearly in possession of third place with two games remaining. The IceRays need just one point in their final two games against the Wildcats to seal their best standings finish in junior franchise history as well as a first round meeting with Shreveport. The Wildcats need to win both games in regulation this week to slot into third place over the IceRays.

IceRays captain Mason Krueger joined a small handful of players to eclipse the 50-point mark in the junior franchise. He’s the first since the 2014-15 season to reach 50 points in a single-season, tying defenseman Anthony Cortese (’14-’15) for sixth in junior franchise history for single-season points. Ahead of them are forwards Wes Michaud (’14-’15) with 73 points, Rudy Sulmonte (’12-’13) with 68 points, Beau Walker (’10-’11) with 62 points, Tanner Lomsnes (’14-’15) with 57 points, and Emil Romig (’12-’13) with 54 points. Krueger is also second all-time in assists and third in goals and points, recording 41 goals and 53 assists for 94 points through 171 career NAHL games.

 

#REDRISING